Filing appliance.



H. J. HICK.

FILING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 11.1912.

1,160,173. PatentedvNov. 16, 1915.

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COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH CO..WAsM|NuTON. D. c.

H. l. HICK.

FILING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION man DEC. 11'. m2.

1 1 60, 1 73. Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[NVENTOR Allarnzy COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH c0., WASHINGTCIN, n. c.

H. J. HICK.

FILING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 11.1912. 1,160,173, Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

E STATES AEN nron.

HARRY J. HICK, OF ALLIANCE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THEMGCASKEY REGISTER COMPANY, (INCORPORATED IN 1914,) OF ALLIANCE, OHIO, A

CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FILING APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

Original application filed May 26, 1909, Serial No. 498,425. Divided andthis application filed December 11, 1912. Serial No. 736,176.

To, all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY J. Then, a citizen of the United States,residing at Alliance, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to FilingAppliances, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to filing appliances, ordinarily known as creditaccounting appliances, it being more particularly adapted for thesystematic filing and keeping of memoranda, data, slips ofv paper andthe like, incident to business systems, such as sales slips, bills oraccounts payable and receivable, statements, ledger cards and forsimilar purposes.

This application is a division of my appllcation filed'May 26, 1909,Serial No. 498,425, issued Feburary 4:, 1913, in Patent No. 1,052,444. V

One object of the invention is to provide in a filing appliance, havingone or more filing sections provided with a slip-holding clip or seriesof clips, a separating plate or divider forming on the filing section apocket or pockets adapted to receive and hold memoranda and records,such as bills payable or receivable, statements, and other data andrecords.

Further objects of the invention consist in the combination orcombinations of parts described and claimed in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsillustrating one form of the invention.

Figure l is a perspective view of a filing appliance embodying myinvention, most of the leaves of the series of leaves being re clined,and the casing or housing being broken away. Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryview of the upper portion of the leaves when in normal verticalposition. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of one of the leaves. Fig. l is amodification of one of the eaves. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view onthe line 77 of Fig. i. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View of a portion of thecasing and leaves, when the latter are in normal position. Fig. 7 is afragmentary view in perspective showing one of the separator plates.Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the modified form of theinvention illustrated in Fig. 4.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a casing or housing of any usual orpreferred constructlon. It preferably comprises an upright portion 2,having a back 2 and side pieces 2", 2 and a desk portion 3, having atransparent top 3*, an index carrying slide 3 and drawers 3, 3 thelatter being adapted to receive and store blanks, pads, pad holders,pencils, or other supplies and articles for use in carrying out thesystem, if desired.

4 indicates a support, preferably arranged on a3 level with or slightlyabove the desk top 5 indicates a plurality of leaves or sections, thefront one 5 being, in the example illustrated, pivotally mounted at 5,5, on the support 4. Preferably, suitable pivoting and connectmg devices6 are arranged between the leaves or sections, so that when one or moreof them are'reclined from the vertical, the lower edges of all theremaining upright leaves or sections move forward to the positlonoccupied by the lower edge of the last leaf reclined. It will beunderstood that the series of leaves 5 may be pivotally mounted in anydesired manner.

7 indicates a series of record or bill-holding spring operated clipsmounted upon one or both sides of each leaf or section, as desired.

7 indicates one form of clip shown on some of the leaves, and 7 2indicates another form of clip on other leaves 5.

"Each of the clips 7 is preferably formed from resilient wire, andcoiled at 7 near its opposite ends to form springs for normally pressingthe clip toward the adjacent face of the leaf. The free ends of the wireare suitably secured to the leaves 5. It will be understood that myinvention is not limited to a spring clip, as any suitable bill-holdingclip or clamp may be employed. They are preferably of skeleton form inorder that the memoranola or the slips or papers filed be hind them canbe easily read.

5 indicates a plurality of spacing strips extending longitudinally ofeach leaf and parallel to each other. The strips o operate to strengthenthe leaves, as well as to space them apart, and to form side walls foreach slip filing section.

8 indicates a separating plate or divider.

for some of the leaves or sections, preferably arranged behind one ormore of the clips 7 and adapted to be engaged and normally pressed bysaid clip or clips against the ad jacent face of the leaf or section 5.The separating plate. 8 preferably comprises a metallic plate 8 thatforms a backing against which the clip or clips 7 act. The plate 8 ispivoted on or near the axis of the clips 7 relatively to the face of theadjacent leaf or section 5. Preferably the pivoting notes, bills payableor receivable, accounts payable, inventory records, agreements and othermemoranda, preferably concealed from View, as well as all memorandarelating to each separate account, and which it may be desirable toformulate and record from time to time for ready inspection andreference.

As will be understood from the drawings the divider or separator 8consists of a plate, which is preferably formed from sheet metal, and ofa size to fit between adjacent strips 5*. The divider thus serves toconceal from view any and all papers filed behind it. It will thereforebe seen that each filing section may be provided with two slip hold-.ing members, one of which is of skeleton form and permits the memorandaon the last filed slip or paper to be clearly seen and read, and theother of which entirely conceals from view' those papers filed behindit.

For convenience in operation, I preferably arrange the upper edges ofthe leaves 5 adapted to receive the credit sales slips, in echelon, sothat the index devices 11 may be readily seen. As the leaves providedwith separating plates 8 are not intended to be used generally, theirupper edges are shown in the drawings as being arranged in the samehorizontal plane, onebehind the other. The upper edges of these lastmentioned leaves may, however, be arranged in echelon, if desired.

12 indicates a guiding device. This device preferably comprises an armpivoted to the back 2 and provided with a latch 12 at or near its freeend. The guide arm 12 is gravity operated and when all the leaves are innormal vertical position its catch 12? engages the upper edge of thefront leaf 5 and holds all the leaves closed. When the front leaf 5 isreclined, the guide arm 12 is moved upwardly into the position shown inFig. 1, against a stop 12* and operates then to move the upper edges ofall the upright leaves forward when one or more of them are reclined. Ifall the leaves except the last leaf of the series is reclined,-the upperedge of the last leaf engages with the catch 12 and is held uprightthereby. l/Vhen the upper edges of some of the leaves are arranged inthe same horizontal plane, one behind the other, and the other leaves ofthe series are arranged in echelon, as shown in the drawings, the guidearm 12 is bent,- as

separator. plate is arranged. behind and common to each two adjoiningclips 7 7 1 1 indicates pivot pins loosely mounted at the lower edge ofthe separator plates 13 and each. arranged to have its opposite endsextend into the adjacent coils 7 of. the springs 7 and be pivotedthereto relatively to the adjaceint leaf face.

In order to provide compensating means for the memoranda anddata to befiled behind the separator 13, the pins 1 1 are bent at substantiallyright angles at 1 1 14, 14. 1 1 to form an off-set portion 15 which isloosely pivoted to the lower edge of the separator 13. This constructionpermits the lower edge of the separator to accommodate itself to thethickness of the papers or memoranda filed behind the separator 13,whereby the papers or memoranda may be filed one behind the other andheld in per: foot order by the separator 13.

To those skilled in the art of making ap paratus of the class described,many alterations and widely differing embodiments and applications of myinvention will suggest themselves. tion herein are purely illustrative,and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

For the purpose of illustrating a use to which the leaves or sectionsprovided with separators or dividers are adapted, I have shown in Fig. 1one of the dividers broken away to expose an account 16 of John Jonesagainst the proprietor of the appliance, William Smith. It should beassumed that another or additional and later account My disclosures anddescrip payable between the same parties is rendered. The first one isnumbered 1, and the amount is for $500.00. WVhen it was received, a slip17 was made out in the name of John Jones, carrying the amount of account No. 1 and placed under the clip 7 and number 16, which indexnumber designates John Jones filing section in the appliance. WVhen thesecond account is received, it is numbered 2, and a second clip 17 ismade out in favor of John Jones and having carried forward on it theamount $500.00 of the first slip, to which is added the amount of$700.00 of the second slip, giving a total of $1,200.00 on the secondslip, which slip may then be filed under the clip 16. vNow the advantageof this system is due to the fact that the slips may be made in multipleand in such manner that one may be filed under John Jones to show theamount owed him to date, the other may be filed under a section devotedto total accounts payable, the amount of John Jones last bill beingadded to the amount of. total accounts payable on the last slipappearing in the section devoted to that purpose; the third slip may beused in the stock account to show the amount of stock on hand; and thefourth slip may be used for taking ad- Vantage of the last day fordiscounting the last bill rendered, etc.

The advantage of the appliance for accommodating such a system ofkeeping a merchants record will be at once apparent. The bills payable,accounts payable, and the like, may be filed systematically andconcealed from view by the separators or dividing plates, simply indexedfor reference purposes, and manifolding pads may be employed, the slipsof which filled in at a single writing, may be used for keeping up todate Various details of the merchants business, among others, the totalamount of all the accounts payable owed a particular party, which slipwhen made out is filed under the spring clip which bears upon theseparator or dividing plate behind which are filed the accounts payableof the creditor in question, or a ledger sheet in card or other form maybe used for keeping a record of debits and credits of any account and itmay be held by the spring clip above mentioned. 7

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a series of leaves, means permitting said leavesto swing relative to each other, a skeleton paper-engaging spring clipcarried by each leaf, a plate interposed between one of said clips andthe adjacent leaf, and means for pivotally supporting said plate looselyrelative to said leaf on an axis substantially coincident with the axisof the clip and permitting it to swing independently of said clip.

2. The combination of a series of leaves, means permitting said leavesto swing relative to each other, a spring clip carried by each leaf, asupporting plate interposed between one of said clips and the adjacentleaf, and means for pivotally supporting said plate loosely relative tosaid leaf on an axis substantially coincident with the axis of the clipand permitting it to swing independently of said clip, the said platebeing provided with a flange which serves as a rest for the papers filedbehind it.

3. The combination witha swingable leaf, of a pair of devices forholding papers on said leaf, and means for pivotally supporting saiddevices on said leaf on the same axis but to move independently of eachother, one of said devices comprising a wire clip having coils foroperating it toward the leaf and permitting the papers filed behind itto be inspected without removal and the other device comprising a platethat is pressed toward said leaf by the clip and serves to conceal fromview the papers filed behind it.

l. The combination of a leaf or frame,-a

support therefor, a plurality of independently operated spring clipscarried thereby, a separator commonto, and arranged be tween said clipsand said leaf, and means for pivotally supporting said separatorrelative to said leaf and permitting it to swing independently of theclips, the said clips operating independently to press the separatortoward the said leaf.

5. The combination of a swingable leaf for a filing appliance, of apaper supporting device comprising a plate provided with a flangeextending from its lower edge inwardly and serving as a rest for papers,and means tending to press the upper edge of said plate toward saidleaf.

6. In a filing appliance, the combination of a series of pivotallymounted leaves, each provided with a plurality of spring oper-' atedpaper engaging clips, and a paper supporting plate interposed betweenone of said s ring operated clips and the face of an adjacent leaf, andmeans for loosely pivoting the plate on substantially the same axis asthe axis ofjthe clip.

7. In a filing'appliance the combination of a movable leaf or frame, asupport therefor, a plurality of independently operable spring clipscarried by said leaf or frame, and a separator pivotally mountedrelative to said leaf or frame and arranged between it and the clips andswingable independently thereof.

8. In a filing appliance, the combination of a series of pivotallymounted leaves, each provided with a plurality of independently operablespring clips, and means comprising a pivoted plate common to and actedupon by each of the clips and pivoted relatively to the adjacent leaf,for holding memoranda relating to the records exposed beneath either ofsaid clips.

r 9. In a filing appliance, the combination of a series of pivotallymounted leaves ar- 'rangedztobe assembled face to face, paper engagingclips carried by each of the leaves and each provided with coiledsprings for normally operating the said clips, a paper supporting platearranged behind one or more clips and normally pressed against the faceof an adjoining leaf, and means for hinging the said plate in thesaid-spring coils, and permitting it to swing independently of the adjacent clip.

10. In a filing appliance, the combination with a series of pivotallymounted leaves, arranged to be assembled face to face, a plurality ofpaper engaging clips on one .or both faces'of each of the said leavesand each provided with a pair of coiled springs adapted to press thesaid clips toward the face of'an adjacent leaf, a paper supporting plateforming receivingpockets interposed between ea chclip and the face of anadjacent leaf, and pivotpins carried by each plate having their freeends extending into the coilsof the said springs to permit the plate'toswing relatively to the said leaf independently of'the adjacent clip.

11. In a filing appliance, thecombination of a leafftor frame, a platefor supporting and holding memoranda, a spring operated clip forreceiving records and'arranged to normallypress the plate against theface of the leaf, devices for, pivotally supporting' the plate, providedwith means for permitting the plate to accommodate itselfto thethickness of the memoranda papers,

12. In a filing appliance, the combination of a support, a leaf or framepivotally mounted thereon, and provided with a plurality of clips, aplate for supporting and holding papers pivotedrelative to said leaforframe and arranged between one of said clips and the adjacent face ofthe leaf or frame, said plate being provided with an iniiurned loweredge on which the papers filed behind it are supported and means forpivotally supporting said plate-and permit ting it to accommodate itselfto the papers filed behind it. v i r 13. In a filing'appliance, thecombination of a leaf or frame, a separator plate, a clip arranged infront of said separator plate and movable relative thereto to receivememoranda betweenthe separator plate and the clip, and arranged to pressthe separator plate against the adjacent face of the leaf,

14. In a filing appliance, the combination of a leaf, a separator platefor holding mem oranda, a clip arranged in front'o-f saidseparator-plate adapted to'receive and hold records and to normallypress the separator plate against the face of the leaf, coiledsprings'for operating the'clip, and a pivot pin for swingably supportingthe separator plate, the said pivot pin having its free ends extendinginto the coils of the said springs and loosely supported thereby andbeing formed with an off-set portion loosely .pivoted to thesaidseparator plate to'permit the latter to accommodate itself to thethickness of the memoranda concealed by the said separator plate. 1

15. In a filing appliance, the combination of a leaf, a series of paperengaging spring clips'carried by said leaf and arranged side by side toswing. independently on axes coincident with each otaer, a paper supporting plate carried by said-leaf and arranged behind two adjoiningspring'clipsthereon, and means for pivotally supporting the plate toswing on an axis substantially coincident-with the axesiof the adjacentclips and independently thereof. t

16. A file clamp mechanism, comprising a supporting base, a hingepinmounted on said base, a hinged plate mounted on said hinge pin, itshinge engaging-portion being of less width than the width ofsaid plate,a coil spring mounted on said hinge pin on either side of the hingeengaging portion of said plate, and a loop formed by the continuation ofthe internal ends of said coil spring bearing upon and forming clampingmeans on'the exterior surface of said plate. 17. A file clamp mechanism,comprising a supporting member, a hinge, pin -mounted on said member, ahinged plate member, engaging said hinge pin and pivotally supportedthereon, and a spring engaging said hinge pin and forming a clampingmember to engage a memorandum supported on said plate member, wherebysubstantially the entire area of the plate is exposed for writing on thememorandum sheet held on said plate.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature, in the presence of twowltnesses.

HENRY F. PoLLooK, PETER Voss.

Copies oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington,D. c.

